In the Bible we see God using anointing oil to symbolize the anointing. Do we ever need a fresh anointing?
It’s true that we need an oil change in our cars. Is it any different for us? Does the anointing of the Holy Spirit even matter? It seems to be one of those terms that was common to hear but has lost some of its popularity.
Did you know that without the anointing of the Spirit, Jesus was not able to perform a single miracle? We do hear a lot about the presence of God these days. Amen to that! I love the presence of God. But there really is a difference between God’s presence and God’s power. They are not the same.
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38, MEV).
Looking at the Hebrew word for anointing, we get the exact idea of what is given:
g5548. chriō, meaning to smear or to rub with oil or consecrate to an office or religious service: to anoint consecrating Jesus to the Messianic office, and furnishing Him with the necessary powers for its administration enduing Christians with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
We see the O.T. use of anointing for consecration to the office of “king” or a particular service. In addition we see the “power” aspect integrated into the meaning of being anointed with the manifestation of gifts of God by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was led out by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil, then came back in the power of the Spirit. In other words, He had the Holy Spirit before He went out to the desert, but He came back with power. Jesus was commissioned and anointed for a purpose. The anointing is to fulfill a specific purpose of God.
As believers, we all have been chosen and anointed by God for a purpose. When God puts His anointing on us, there is a reason. The New Testament is the first time we see the word anointing used in the context of power to heal, deliver and perform miracles. The Holy Spirit is given to all believers. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is where God’s power is released in our lives.
We do see pictures of two people anointed to be king in the Old Testament, Saul and David. From their lives we can extract pictures of two completely different types of people anointed by God. Saul represents the person who had the outward anointing without any inward devotion. David represents a person who not only has the anointing to rule but has the inward devotion. The kingdom of the Messiah (Jesus) being established on the throne of David, as read in the book of Isaiah, is the life we want to model.
The Joy of God
Another particular element we see in the anointing is that joy is closely associated with it. Because of the heavenly aspect of the glory and power of God’s anointing, there is the freedom that comes with it. The anointing breaks “heavy yokes,” bringing joy and freedom to people. Spiritual chains are broken, fear, condemnation, shame and all the work of the enemy is destroyed by the anointing. We see this purpose of the anointing outlined in this passage:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19, MEV).
Where there is freedom, there is joy! Where there is no freedom, there is no joy. It is that simple. It can be all to easy to get laden down with a spirit of heaviness, especially in religious circles. This is an opportunity to use the weapon of worship to access the anointing that breaks these heavy yokes. In Isaiah we are told to put on the “garment of praise” for the “spirit of heaviness.”
In other words, our worship has the ability to access the anointing of God to break that yokes of the devil. With the Holy Spirit inside of us we have an even more powerful dynamic at work because we can break from the “inside-out.” It is a matter of accessing “Christ,” the Anointed One or the anointing, in us “the hope of glory.”
The hope of glory means in hope or the purpose of His indwelling is that we might partake now in the state of heaven on Earth, “the glorious condition of blessedness, brightness and absolute perfection.” Just as Jesus taught us to pray, “His kingdom come on Earth as it is in heaven,” we see how the Spirit inside of us enables us to partake of this reality.
“The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us through Your name.’ He said to them, ‘I saw Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Look, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’ At that time Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for it was Your good pleasure’“ (Luke 10:17-21, MEV).
Jesus had given the 70 power over demons, and they came back rejoicing because it is the natural result of casting out darkness. Where the devil is gone, there is great joy. Even Jesus rejoiced in this life of victory that they were experiencing. When Jesus rejoiced it means that He “leaped or jumped” for joy.
g0021. ἀγαλλιάω agalliaō; from ἄγαν agan (much) and 242; properly, to jump for joy, i. e. exult: be (exceeding) glad, with exceeding joy, rejoice.
They were experiencing a little heaven on Earth. We need to understand that the devil is very depressed. That is who he is. He was cast out of heaven and his future is the lake of fire, which is very depressing news for him. In Christ we have the best of the best, a future, a hope and something to be really happy about!
“You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (Heb. 1:9, MEV).
Jesus was anointed with the “oil of gladness” far above all His companions. All Jesus has is good news! His news is not sadness, but gladness. Get around Jesus and your condition will change from sad to glad because that is Who He is. Jesus is the ultimate Medicine, the Great Physician, the glory and the lifter of your head. {eoa}
John Belt helps people discover abundant life in God’s presence through intimacy and breakthrough. He is co-founder, along with his wife, Brandi, of Overflow Global Ministries and travels itinerantly through speaking and worship in the U.S. and abroad. John has produced over 30 instrumental and worship albums that create an atmosphere for encounters with heaven and can be found around the world in places such as Bethel Redding, 24/7 Burns, Catch the Fire Toronto, XPMedia, International Houses of Prayer and people’s living rooms. He the author of Overflowing in His Presence, to be released later this year.
For the original article, visit overflowglobal.com.
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